Mantel Decorating Tips

Interior improv

Professional designers may have the edge when it comes to the knowledge of available stylish options for decorating everything in your home.  But their true asset lies in having sat down for an hour and thought about purpose.  Before you latch on to some silly trinket and decorate around it, decide if it gels with your intention.  Here are some perfectly good ideas, intended to spur your creativity or for complete, uninspired appropriation:

A seasonal theme It's a good place to have a cycling décor.  If you like, it is also a handy excuse to ignore the season throughout the rest of  your home.

Family Showcase - Your mantel is a great place for anything you are proud of.  Don't overdo it though, especially if your family is attractive.  Nobody likes a showoff.

Hobby Spot - Sportsmen and model plane enthusiasts, rejoice!  Guests are sure to request a thorough telling of all the riveting details regarding the capture and taxidermy of the mounted marlin.  Fascinating.

Library - Displaying books says a lot about your character and invites people to know more about you.  Like your attractive family, a highly intellectual library should be curtailed.  Mix some Clancy and Crichton with your Sartre.

Aside from a theme, some tips on general presentation:

Instead of focusing the furniture around the television, point it towards your mantelpiece.  The flashing-shouting box gets enough attention as it is.  Your mantel design will look better as a centerpiece than as a side note. 

Have a spot reserved for seasonal flowers.  Fresh greenery always looks great and phony wreaths are quite overrated.  Save the overmantel for some artwork or portraits.

Create some contrast in the colors of your mantel.  Too many are merely continuations of the same tones that flood the room.  Even stoic marble or stone mantels can benefit from some flair.  Don't rely on a grandiose design to compensate for dull colors.

Confidence is key

And whatever your actual opinion is of the final product, defend it like it was your child.  Should Martha Stewart herself come over and raise a critical eyebrow at your fireplace mantel decoration, tell her, as many times as it takes, that she just doesn't get it.  Your choice of artwork on the overmantel may clash with the room's dominant colors; maybe the terrier menagerie looks incongruous alongside Woody Allen's bust.  Whatever, not only do they look fine together - they're perfect.  Nothing out-styles anything worn with confidence.

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